1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer device installed in production equipment such as a component mounting apparatus, component transfer apparatus, and reflow apparatus, and more particularly to a computer device which is capable of being restored in a short period of time even when a hard disk drive device crash or other failure occurs.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional computer device for production equipment that is installed in a component mounting apparatus, by way of example, will be described with reference to FIG. 7 through FIG. 10.
The component mounting apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 10 comprises a component mounting section 101, a component feeding section 102, a substrate loading section 103, an input device 11, a display device 12, and a computer device (shown by dotted lines) that is installed inside of the main unit of the component mounting apparatus 100. A multiplicity of parts cassettes are accommodated in the component mounting section 102, and the parts cassette containing a desired type of electronic components is transferred to a predetermined component removal location. The substrate loading section 103 is constituted such that a printed circuit board is loaded onto an X-Y table located at a component mounting position and the printed circuit board on which electronic components have been mounted is carried out of the X-Y table. The component mounting section 101 includes a mounting head for removing electronic components from the parts cassette at the component removal location and for mounting the electronic components at a mounting position on the printed circuit board positioned at a predetermined location by the X-Y table, and a camera for image recognition of components.
The computer device performs the functions of coordinating the mounting operation and of processing data such as inputting, outputting, and editing of the component mounting data. A hard disk drive (HDD) device of the computer device stores the component mounting data such as data on the shapes of components, mounting positions, image recognition of components, and parts cassettes. Also, data required for production control for monitoring the operating conditions of the apparatus, production results, and various features such as the rate of successful pick-up of components by suction are stored in the HDD device. The computer device also has a graphic user interface function that contributes to the user-friendly operability of the component mounting apparatus together with the input device 11 and display device 12. Also stored in the HDD device of the computer device is error logging data in which details of any abnormality and the conditions of the apparatus at the time the apparatus has stopped operating are recorded for the purpose of reducing the time for restoration whenever a trouble occurs.
The computer device thus enables: reduction of time for switching the type of product from one to another; minimization of a down time of the apparatus when an abnormality occurs; manufacture of products of highly controlled quality; and maximization of productivity per unit hour.
FIG. 7 shows a conventional computer device 20 used in component mounting apparatuses such as the one shown in FIG. 10. The computer device 20 comprises an arithmetic unit 10, an input device 11 for inputting operation data, a display device 12 for displaying operation data, and a hard disk drive device (hereinafter referred to simply as HDD device) 23 for storing a processing program, and operation data. A signal transmitting line 15 between the arithmetic unit 10 and the HDD device 23 is composed of a data bus for transmitting and receiving data, an address bus for specifying a data read/write address, and a master drive unit/slave drive unit selecting signal.
In FIG. 8, which shows a circuit diagram of the signal transmission of the computer device 20, normally at least two hard disk drives of a master drive unit 24 and a slave drive unit 25 are provided in the HDD device 23. A hard disk controller 3 of the inside of the arithmetic unit 10 is connected via a signal transmitting line 15 to a controller 24a inside the master drive unit 24, and a controller 25a inside the slave drive unit 25 on the inside of the HDD device 23, and performs the reading and writing of data to the drive units 24, 25.
The selection of the master/slave drive unit inside the HDD device 23 from the arithmetic unit 10 is performed by setting master/slave selecting circuits 24b, 25b inside the master drive unit 24 and slave drive unit 25. More specifically, selection is performed by setting selecting switches inside the master/slave selecting circuits to either short-circuited or open.
FIG. 9 shows the programs stored inside the master drive unit 24 and the slave drive unit 25 on the inside the HDD device 23. In the master drive unit 24, there is stored an operating system program including a device driver program (hereinafter referred to simply as OS program) required to start up the computer system, an application program (hereinafter referred to simply as APL program) for describing computer processing contents, and APL program processing data such as component mounting data, information for production control, and error logging data. Further, in the slave drive unit 25, there is stored an APL program and APL program processing data that cannot be stored in the master drive unit 24.
In fact, if storage space for all APL programs and APL program processing data can be secured in the master drive unit 24, the slave drive unit 25 is not necessary, and the HDD device 23 can be constituted solely by a master drive unit 24.
When a computer device of a constitution such as that described above is used as either part of, or as an entire controller for production equipment such as a component mounting apparatus, which mounts an electronic component at a predetermined location on a printed circuit board, since the production equipment must be made smaller, the installation site of the computer device is generally a location inside the apparatus main unit. Further, because the mounting speed of the component mounting apparatus is becoming increasingly faster, a motor that drives an X-Y table generally operates by abruptly increasing and decreasing speed, and motor capacity is generally large. Moreover, the component mounting apparatus is quite often kept in operation for 24 hours a day in succession, during which reading and writing of data are continuously performed in the computer device.
If the computer device is installed inside of a main unit of production equipment, the HDD device, which stores the OS program required for computer system startup, an APL program for describing the contents of computer processing, and APL program processing data, is affected by vibration from the equipment, a lightning-induced power outage, and noise from the motor and surrounding equipment, and there is a possibility that the HDD device itself will succumb to mechanical failure, or that the data inside the HDD device will be destroyed. As a result thereof, there is the danger that the computer device will lose it""s ability to start up normally.
In this case, the problem is that, as repair work, because it is necessary to prepare a normal master drive unit, in which an OS program, APL program, and APL program processing data have been stored beforehand, and to replace the malfunctioning master drive unit with the normal master drive unit, a lot of time is required. Specifically, if the HDD device breaks down, the computer device will have to be first removed from the apparatus main unit of production equipment, after which the HDD device must be taken out of the computer device and be replaced with a new HDD device. Then the OS program, APL program, and APL program processing data must be installed in the new HDD device. It will take some 12 hours for all these restoration work. In case there is no backup data of the APL program processing data, it is further necessary to prepare the data for the mounting operation, which will take another 12 hours.
With the foregoing problems with prior art in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a computer device for production equipment capable of being restored in a short period of time when a malfunction occurs in the HDD device.
The computer device of the present invention is installed in an apparatus main unit of production equipment and comprises an arithmetic unit, an input device for inputting operation data, a display device for outputting operation data, and a hard disk drive device which stores a processing program and operation data. The arithmetic unit executes data processing in accordance with the data processing program inside the hard disk drive device, and stores an operation result in the hard disk drive device. The hard disk drive device has two or more drive units including a main drive unit and a backup drive unit. In the main drive unit, there is stored an operating system program, an application program, and application program processing data, and in the backup drive unit, there is stored exactly the same programs and data as are in the main drive unit including the operating system program. The computer system is programmed so that, after computer system startup, the results of data processing executed by the arithmetic unit are written to both a main drive unit and a backup drive unit as new processing data. Furthermore, to selectively connect the arithmetic unit with one of the drive units inside the hard disk drive device, a drive unit selecting circuit is provided on the hard disk drive device side, and a switch for switching this drive unit selecting circuit is provided on the outside of the computer device.
According to the above constitution, the current drive unit connected to the arithmetic unit can be easily changed from a malfunctioning drive unit to a separate, normal drive unit inside the HDD device in a short period of time by operating a switch provided on the outside of the computer device, for example, on the front surface of the computer device in the apparatus main unit of production equipment. Further, because the contents of the backup drive unit are kept the same as the contents of the main drive unit, the computer device can be restarted in accordance with the OS program of the backup drive unit, and processing can be continued in accordance with the APL program and APL program processing data of the backup drive unit. Further, because the most recent processing data of immediately prior to a shutdown resulting from a malfunction is stored in the processing data of the APL program, processing can be continued immediately.
Further, when this computer device is used as either part of, or as an entire controller in a component mounting apparatus, which mounts an electronic component on a printed circuit board, even if the HDD device should fail under the effects of vibration from the equipment, a lightning-induced power outage, or noise from the motor and surrounding equipment, mounting operations can be continued by simply operating a switch, without altering software settings, or changing an APL program, or replacing the HDD device. Particularly in a component mounting apparatus, the time for restoration work when the HDD device breaks down can be remarkably reduced from 12-24 hours in prior art to 10-30 minutes.
The computer device of the present invention should not necessarily be used for production equipment but can of course be applied to any other purposes.
While novel features of the invention are set forth in the preceding, the invention, both as to organization and content, can be further understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description and examples when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.